Warmflow boiler turning on and off by itself!!!

[m1439003]

I have a warmflow boiler in the back garden and a horstmann programmer in the kitchen to control the heating/water which is linked to 3 zone valves.

When all zones are OFF, the boiler still periodically turns itself on and then off (wasting fuel in the process) as if I had the heating on. Anybody got any ideas of what is going on and how to fix it??

 

[dontknowitall]

Is it an oil boiler? If it is and it's been doing this for the last 2-3 weeks it's probably the frost thermostat kicking in to make sure it doesn't freeze.

 

[m1439003]

Cheers mate. It is an oil boiler. I have only noticed it doing this since last Saturday. However the forst/snow/freezing temps have somewhat disappeared in my area since before then e.g. the boiler turned itself on this evening but temps here are over 5oC. Would anything else possible cause this issue?

 

[dontknowitall]

Some frost thermostats kick in at +7C. You can alter the thermostat but I'd leave it if I were you as the money you'd save in oil would be nothing compared to a new boiler if it froze properly. (Remember windchill and humidity might mean the measured temperature by the thermostat could be much nearer zero.)

 

[m1439003]

The frost thermostat theory is definitely making sense. Just looked up my model of boiler - Warmflow KS90HE. The manufacturer says it DOES NOT come with a built in frost thermostat. If the boiler did have a frost thermostat or if someone added one on, where would it be located and what would it look like? Have looked inside the online manual and not much detail given. I'm a bit concerned as I have used over 450L of oil in exactly 4 weeks which is very very excessive for me.

 

[tamz]

A frost stat on this boiler is an optional extra and as it is an outdoor boiler a wise one to have.
It is only protecting itself and will go back to normal when the temperature rises again.
A few litres of oil are cheaper than a callout charge or worse. Leave it and forget about it.

 

[dontknowitall]

DOES NOT?!!! What wombat thought that would be sensible? Silly me!! If it freezes they can sell you a new one!

A frost stat is similar to an old room stat (white box with round dial) except it doesn't have numbers on it. If it's fitted then it'll be screwed into the boiler's casing (inside) somewhere. Or ... it could be inside the house. If you follow any wiring you might find it.

I once found a frost stat behind a kitchen unit - not as stupid as it sounds as it was against the outside wall where the oil line and water came into the building.

I'm also wondering if I'm on the right track with the frost stat. Perhaps a wiring fault has developed, for example a faulty zone valve which is stuck on or the hot water stat or heating stat or programmer? Does the boiler turn off when one of the zone valves is on?

Maybe a call out maybe the best course of action. An electrician could be a good starting point as the boiler's working and the hot water and radiators are all working fine. Nothing against plumbers and boiler people but if they're not available there's no reason why an electrician shouldn't be able to help.

 

[ecowarm]

i agree with tamz , leave alone we have more snow coming

it will be in the out side casing

 

[m1439003]

Cheers guys for your responses. I appreciate that the frost stat is very important - its not that I want to turn if off, I just want to check the settings in case it is set for a too high a temp. donknowitall - very interesting that you mention that it might be an electrical issue. I have a friend who is an electrical engineer who is coming out before the end of the week who says if might be a wrongly wired zone valve. I have only moved into the house (4 yrs old) in Oct 2010 so I don't know how the system has behaved itself in the past. I lived nearby before I moved in a house with the exact same heating system + boiler and never had this problem before. Sounds if we are on the right track - will update how I get on. Thanks again.